Director Midi Zhao’s latest film, "City of Jade", has received positive review at its Berlin premier. The documentary film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival on Friday evening, local time.
The film represented Taiwan at the festival, but its focus is mainly on Myanmar and the stories of the director’s family. Zhao said the film is like a family video tape that reveals his family's scars. He said it was a painful process to shoot and edit the documentary work.
In the film, Zhao plays the protagonist’s younger brother, who questions why his older brother has become a drug addict and abandoned his family. The film depicts how people struggle for survival in the darkest corners of Myanmar.
Director Midi Zhao was born in Myanmar, but he received his artistic training in Taiwan. His film "Ice Poison" premiered at the 2014 Berlin Film Festival, and was entered into the running for the Oscars’ Best Foreign Language Film award. His first documentary, "Jade Miners", premiered at the 2015 International Film Festival Rotterdam.